Tanner Foust

Tanner Lee Foust (born June 13, 1973) is an American professional racing driver, stunt driver, and television host. He competes in rally, drift, ice racing, time attack, hill climb and rallycross with multiple podium placements, national championships, and world records. He was a co-host of the American version of the motoring television series Top Gear USA.

Background Growing up in a naval family, Foust spent several years as a child in Scotland, where he discovered rallying and learned to drive on the country roads near his home. He returned to the United States and worked jobs as a golf caddy and school bus driver, from which he was fired, and went into a pre-med track at the University of Colorado, earning a biology degree. He spent his summers at the track, trading mechanic work and driver coaching jobs for seat time in racecars. After college, he began working as an ice driving coach, an instructor at automotive marketing events and competing in anything he could, including rally and drifting. He made the transition to professional racing in 2003, and soon moved to California to begin stunt driving for Hollywood films. With his passion for cars, he has rapidly become one of the busiest professional drivers in the United States. He considers himself fortunate that, in just over ten years of professional racing, he has had the opportunity to compete against the likes of Rod Millen, Colin McRae, Michael Schumacher, Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel.

Career Foust in action during the 2014 World RX of Great Britain. Later that same year he won the World RX of Finland. Foust was slated to become co-host for the original American version of the motoring television series, Top Gear, on NBC and filmed a pilot before the series was dropped. The series has since been picked up by the History Channel and Foust was the only pilot presenter to be picked up when the program finally made it on air in the U.S. in late 2010. He has also hosted other shows including SPEED Channel's SuperCars Exposed, SPEED Channel's Redline TV and ESPN's Import Tuners. On November 21, 2010, he made his debut for the History Channel series, Top Gear, the American version of the BBC hit series of the same name.

Foust has been a stunt driver for films such as The Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift, Ford vs Ferrari, Need For Speed and The Dukes of Hazzard and set multiple world records with Hot Wheels and Top Gear. He was a prominent competitor in the Formula Drift series, winning the 2007 and 2008 championship. Foust is the first driver in Formula Drift history to win back-to-back series championships. He is the most decorated driver in X Games history with 9 medals. Foust first competed in X Games XIII in 2007 where he won the gold in the rally racing event. He also participated in Rally America in 2009. In 2010 at X Games XVI, he won gold in Rally Car Racing and Rally Car Super Rally, driving the Rockstar Energy Ford Fiesta. He also competed in the European Rallycross Championship, becoming the first American to do so. After leaving the drifting scene in favor of RallyCross in 2011, Foust became a regular ERC competitor, taking part in nine of the ten rounds of the FIA recognized series finished second overall as well as Global RallyCross - winning the championship. In 2012, Foust continued his success with another Global RallyCross championship.

For 2013, Foust medaled in both racing events at X Games XIX Los Angeles with a gold in Gymkhana Grid and silver in RallyCross. These marked his eighth and ninth X Games medals.

In the summer of 2015, Foust started shooting the sixth and final season of Top Gear completing 72 episodes.

At the Chicago Auto Show in February 2014, Foust announced a new partnership with Volkswagen and Andretti Autosport. He drove a Volkswagen New Beetle for the 2014 Global RallyCross Championship season as well as selected events with Marklund Motorsport in the inaugural season of the FIA World Rallycross Championship. He became the first, and so far only, driver from outside Europe to win a round of the championship, winning the 2014 World RX of Finland. As the US rallycross series has changed its name from Global Rallycross to America’s Rallycross and Nitro Rallycross, Foust has finished runner up in the championship 3 times and won the NRX championship in 2019. He holds the longest running streak of Heat victories in rallycross worldwide at 25 and is currently the winningest driver in the US.

Foust signed with McLaren XE to race in the 2022 Extreme E season alongside Emma Gilmour. He and Gilmour won McLaren's first Extreme E podium by finishing second in the Energy X-Prix. The pair were retained for the 2023 season. McLaren won its second podium by finishing second in Round 4 at the Hydro X-Prix. McLaren withdrew from Round 8 at the Island X-Prix II due to the car being badly damaged in Round 7's redemption race. In December 2023, McLaren announced that Foust and Gilmour will leave the team after two season.

Achievements

Rally America

2005 Rally America - PGT Champion (Subaru WRX) 2006 Rally America - PGT Class Championship Second place overall (Subaru WRX) 2007 Rally America - Fourth Place (with 6 podium placements)

X Games

2006 X Games - Rally Third fastest time in the Stadium Super Special 2007 X Games - Rally Gold Medalist (Subaru STI) 2008 X Games - Rally Silver Medalist (Subaru STI) 2009 X Games - Rally Bronze Medalist (Ford Fiesta) 2010 X Games - Super Rally Gold Medalist (Ford Fiesta) 2010 X Games - Rally Gold Medalist (Ford Fiesta) 2011 X Games - RallyCross Silver Medal (Ford Fiesta) 2013 X Games Munich - RallyCross Bronze Medalist Ford Fiesta) 2013 X Games Los Angeles - Gymkhana Grid Gold Medalist (Ford Fiesta) 2013 X Games Los Angeles - RallyCross Silver Medalist (Ford Fiesta)

Rallycross championships

2011 European Rallycross Championship - Silver Medalist (Ford Fiesta) 2011 Global RallyCross Championship - Champion (Ford Fiesta) 2012 Global RallyCross Championship - Champion (Ford Fiesta) 2018 Americas Rallycross Championship - Silver Medalist (Volkswagen Beetle) 2019 Americas Rallycross Championship - Champion (Volkswagen Beetle)

Formula D

2006 Formula Drift - 3rd place overall (Nissan Silvia) 2007 Formula Drift - Champion (Nissan 350Z) 2008 Formula Drift - Champion (Nissan 350Z) 2009 Formula Drift - 6th Place (Scion TC) 2010 Formula Drift - Silver Medalist (Scion TC)

Other

2009 Race of Champions - Nations Cup semi-finalist 2010 Gymkhana Grid Gold Medalist AWD Division (Ford Fiesta) 2011 World record for longest jump in a four-wheeled vehicle (332 feet) 2011 World indoor speed record (until February 2013) 2012 World record for largest loop-the-loop in a car (60 feet in diameter)

Racing record Complete FIA European Rallycross Championship results (key)

Division 1 Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ERX Points 2010 Rockstar Energy Rallycross Team Ford Fiesta POR FRA GBR HUN SWE FIN BEL GER POL CZE 11th 40

Supercar Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ERX Points 2011 Rockstar Energy Rallycross Team Ford Fiesta GBR POR FRA NOR SWE BEL NED AUT POL CZE 2nd 116 2012 Olsbergs MSE Ford Fiesta GBR FRA AUT HUN NOR SWE BEL NED FIN GER 3rd 100 2013 Olsbergs MSE Ford Fiesta ST GBR POR HUN FIN NOR SWE FRA AUT GER 9th 68 2014 Marklund Motorsport Volkswagen Polo GBR NOR BEL GER ITA 18th 14

Complete FIA World Rallycross Championship results (key)

Supercar Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 WRX Points 2014 Marklund Motorsport Volkswagen Polo POR GBR NOR FIN SWE BEL CAN FRA GER ITA TURDNP ARG 13th 42 2015 Marklund Motorsport Volkswagen Polo POR HOC BEL GBR GER SWE CAN NOR FRA BAR TUR ITA ARG 15th 44 2016 Volkswagen RX Sweden Volkswagen Polo POR HOC BEL GBR NOR SWE CAN FRA BAR LAT GER ARG 29th 0

Complete Global RallyCross Championship results (key)

AWD Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 GRC Points 2011 Olsbergs MSE Ford Racing Ford Fiesta IRW1 IRW2 SEA1 SEA2 PIK1 PIK2 LA1 LA2 1st 134

Supercar Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 GRC Points 2012 Olsbergs MSE Ford Racing Ford Fiesta CHA TEX LA LOU LV LVC 1st 94 2013 Olsbergs MSE Ford Fiesta ST BRA MUN1 MUN2 LOU BRI IRW ATL CHA LV 2nd 123 2014 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Volkswagen Polo BAR AUS DC NY CHA DAY 9th 209 Volkswagen Beetle LA1 LA2 SEA LV 2015 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Volkswagen Beetle FTA DAY1 DAY2 MCAS DET1 DET2 DC LA1 LA2 BAR1 BAR2 LV 3rd 388 2016 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Volkswagen Beetle PHO1 PHO2 DAL DAY1 DAY2 MCAS1 MCAS2C DC AC SEA LA1 LA2 2nd 565 2017 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Volkswagen Beetle MEM LOU THO1 THO2 OTT1 OTT2 INDY AC1 AC2 SEA1 SEA2 LA 2nd 807

Complete Americas Rallycross Championship results Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rank Points 2018 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Volkswagen Beetle SIL1 AUS13 TRO2 AUS21 2nd 107 2019 MO14 GTW16 GTW23 TRO1 AUS1 MO27 1st 143

Complete Nitrocross results Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 NRX Points 2021 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Audi S1 UTA ERX WHP GHR FIRM 6th 82 2023-24 Xite Energy Racing FC1-X MID UMC19 UMC23 WHP1 WHP2 HLN1 HLN2 STA TBA TBA 11th* 84*

Complete Extreme E results (key) Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Points 2022 NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team Spark ODYSSEY 21 DES ISL1 ISL2 COP ENE 7th 2023 NEOM McLaren Extreme E Team Spark ODYSSEY 21 DES1 DES2 HYD1 HYD2 ISL11 ISL12 ISL21 ISL22 COP1 COP2 8th

TV and film

The Dukes of Hazzard (2005) stunt driver Rally America (2005–2007) as Himself Formula D (2005–2007) as Himself Auto Access (2005–2007) Host Import Racers: "Bull Run" (2006) as Himself CSI: Miami: "Driven" (2006) stunt driver Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) stunt driver Master of Champions: "Premiere" (2006) Contestant RM Classic Car Auction (2007) Host Redline TV (2007) Host Dirt: "Ita Missa Est" (2007) stunt double The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) stunt performer Numb3rs: "Velocity" (2007) stunt driver Top Gear (NBC) (2008) Host Mad Skills: Rhys Millen Is the Kiwi Drifter (2008) as Himself SuperCars Exposed (2008–2009) Host Fast & Furious (2009) stunt double Street Customs: "GTO" (2009) as Himself Battle of the Supercars (2010) as Himself Iron Man 2 (2010) stunt double Top Gear (U.S.) (2010—2016) Host Hot Wheels: Fearless at the 500 (2011) as Himself Red Dawn (2012) stunt double The Bourne Legacy (2012) stunt double Octane Academy (2012) as Himself Octane Academy (2013) as Himself Need for Speed (2014) stunt driver Hitman: Agent 47 (2015) hitman stunt driver Straight Outta Compton (2015) Stunt Driver Ford v Ferrari (2019) Ronnie Bucknum John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023) Stunt Driver